Pimple on Tongue (and Inside the Mouth): What It Is and What to Do

Pimples form from blocked oil glands in the skin, and the tongue has none. A white or red bump on the tongue is most often a lie bump, medically transient lingual papillitis. One of the tiny taste bumps swells and becomes sore, often after a bite, hot food, acidic or spicy food, stress or a cold. It usually vanishes within a few days.

A small round ulcer can look like a pimple at first, with a pale centre and a red rim. Our guide on aphthous mouth ulcers describes how to recognise one. Bumps at the back of the tongue are often normal anatomy, which the guide on bumps on the back of the tongue covers.

A soft, round, bluish or clear bump inside the lower lip or cheek is often a mucocele, a small fluid-filled bump from a damaged or blocked minor salivary gland, usually after a lip bite. It can burst and come back. Do not squeeze or cut it. If it keeps recurring or does not settle, a dentist can remove it properly.

Small yellowish dots on the lips and cheeks that do not hurt are usually Fordyce granules, a normal variation covered in our guide on Fordyce granules in the mouth. A bump with a small tooth-related pimple on the gum is a different problem: a gum boil can mean infection at a tooth, and needs a dentist.

Leave it alone. Do not pick, squeeze or burst the bump, and avoid scratching it with the teeth. Rinse with warm salt water, keep brushing gently, and avoid very hot, spicy, salty and sour food for a few days. Drink enough water.

Widely available paracetamol, taken as directed on the label, can ease discomfort for most adults. Ask a pharmacist or doctor first if you have liver disease, drink alcohol regularly or take other medicines. Skin pimple creams are not meant for the mouth and should not be used there.

See a dentist if the bump has lasted more than three weeks, is hard, fixed, painless and slowly growing, bleeds, or has a red or white patch around it. Tobacco, paan and gutkha raise the stakes, so be quicker to have it checked if you use them. Our mouth ulcers page explains the three-week rule.

Many tiny blisters in a cluster point to a viral cause, covered in the guide on blisters on the tongue. A bump with fever, spreading swelling or trouble swallowing needs same-day care, and a hospital emergency department if swallowing or breathing is affected.